The Note

W A S H I N G T O N September 24

Page 7 of 14

Don't look for Clark to take part in the Sunday scene any time soon. Reports the Hill, "word is that Clark's advisers, one of whom is the political operative formerly known as President Bill Clinton, have decided to carefully limit his media availability … Clark, like Dean, is said to have an anger management problem, and apparently needs more basic training on keeping his cool during hostile interviews."
LINK

Clark is expected to make his first campaign swing in the leadoff primary state on Friday and Saturday, John DiStaso reports — in a hard-copy special.

"On Saturday, Clark will greet volunteers who successfully drafted Clark into the race in Dover, address a rally at Dover City Hall and then meet with police officials and officers and other 'first-responders.'"

The Clintons of Chappaqua:

As you know, the broadcast media is excluded from the Monitor Breakfast (formerly known as the Sperling Breakfast) because, well, those print reporters have to try to hold onto some power in their dinosaur industry.

Anyway, this morning at the St. Regis Hotel, Senator Clinton made her first appearance at this fabled event since almost exactly a dozen years ago.

At that '91 breakfast, under the watchful, plotting eye of their then-media consultant Frank Greer, the Clintons premeditatedly TRIED to put to rest any of the anticipated controversy over his personal life through an artful answer, which worked pretty well until the Flowers bloomed in January.

Sperling wrote about the breakfast — and then-candidate (Bill) Clinton's handling of those questions — in the Christian Science Monitor:

"Here Clinton spoke of his relationship with his wife, who was at his side. 'What you need to know about Hillary and me is that we've been together nearly 20 years. It has not been perfect or free from problems, but we're committed to our marriage and its obligations — to our child and to each other. We love each other very much.'"

Someone in the room today was nice enough to break off from talking to editors to fill us in.

Seated nearest the Senator was David Cook and Virginia Harris of the Monitor, with Broder very much at the Senator's table.

At least five of the questions on Wes Clark, out of about the 20 asked over the hour, served over waffles (no metaphor intended).

The Senator cagily avoided ever uttering the word "Clark" in her repeated answers to questions about who she will support (consistent with our reporting yesterday that the Clintons are trying to walk back the notion that they support The General).

"Neutral" the Senator shall remain, and, again, she ruled out running for president in 2004.

About China and her book, she said this was the second time she had been "censored" by the Chinese.

The New York Times ' Ray Hernandez came in a wee bit late, for dramatic effect.

The whole presidential thing is dealt with brilliantly in the Style section of the Washington Post today. LINK

Still on the Hillary beat, Slate's Noah attacks Senator Clinton's presidential credentials, quoting Berkeley economist Brad DeLong, "who served as a deputy assistant secretary of the treasury during the first two years of the Clinton administration and has a natural sympathy for his fellow Democrats" as offering this on the former First Lady: